Quick releasable belt buckle



March 19, 1963 N. HlGUCHl 3,081,506

QUICK RELEASABLE BELT BUCKLE Filed Sept. 22, 1961 INVENTOR. N0/?/ H/GUCH/ BY QWPXW ATTORNEY 3,081,506 QUICK RELEASABLE BELT BUCKLE Nori Higuchi, College Point, N.Y., assignor to Dav s Air: craft Products Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation or New York Filed Sept. 22, 1961, Ser. No. ldihtlilfi 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-75) The invention herein disclosed relates to separable fastenings in the nature of belt buckles.

Objects of the invention are to provide a separable fastener which can be quickly engaged and released and which in the engaged condition will hold securely against any accidental or unintentional release.

Particularly it is a purpose of the invention to provide this fastening in a simple compact form, small in size and light in weight.

These and other desirable objects have been accomplished by making the fastening of two flat sheet metal parts with slots for the webbing or belt material, the slot on one part having an extension at one side of less than the full length of that slot and the other part having an offset neck fitting in the reduced extension mentioned and a head portion of practically the full length of that slot designed to overlie portions at opposite ends of the slot extension.

Other novel features of the invention and further objects accomplished are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention as developed for use in a military pistol belt.

Structure may be modified and changed however as regards this illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the two parts of the buckle in separated relation.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the parts en aged.

FIG. 3 is an edge view with parts in the engaged relation.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the parts positioned for separation.

FIG. 5 is an edge view of the parts as positioned for separation.

As shown in FIG. 1 the two parts of the buckle consist of two small substantially flat pieces of sheet metal, one relatively narrow piece 7 having a slot 8 for the webbing or strap material 9 and the other substantially flat piece 10 having a slot 11 for the webbing or strap material at one end and a head 12 at the opposite end of a length to pass freely through the web slot in the first member.

The slot 8 has a continuous outer edge 13 for holding the web and the opposite, inner edge has an extension 14 of reduced length to accommodate the reduced neck portion 15 of the other member.

As shown in the edge views, FIGS. 3 and 5, this reduced neck portion 15 of the second member is angled in respect to the body of the plate to offset the head portion 12 in parallel relation to the body of this member, thus to locate these two portions on opposite sides of the first member.

The ends of the head portion are shown rounded at 16 to readily pass through the web slot of the other member and the extension slot 14 is shown rounded at 3,081,595 Patented Mar. 19, 1963 17 where it branches oil from the web slot to facilitate engagement and disengagement of the parts.

The first member or plate is shown as having a slightly angled up turned lip 18- providing a handle for angling this plate away from the other plate into the releasing position shown in FIG. 5 where the head is lined up with the full length portion of the web slot.

The web 9 when looped through the slot 8 serves as an abutment to limit sliding movement of the head far enough for the reduced neck portion 15 to leave the slot extension 14. Hence the parts may be released only by tipping the parts, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in a way to enable the head, which as shown is wider than the web slot, to pass through this slot in a relatively inclined position.

The two parts of the buckle are small and light in weight and so do not add bulk to a pistol belt or the like. While easily engaged and disconnected the buckle parts will not separate accidentally and must be relatively inclined before they can be separated.

Only a single slot needs to be provided in each part of the buckle and the slot in the first part is used also for passage of the head and locating the neck on the other part.

While particularly suited to a military pistol belt the invention has many other uses for connecting webbing or strap ends. The parts can be connected by a simple slight angling movement and do not require turning or twisting operations. The web is in the same slot as the head and neck portions of the second member and so may serve to cushion engagement and disengagement of the parts.

What is claimed is: A quick releasable belt buckle comprising, relatively separable and connectible substantially fiat first and second sheet metal buckle forming plates,

each having a single narrow transverse slot, each of said slots having web material passed therethrough to form a loop for. attaching each of said plates to the web material,

the web slot in the first plate having a short lateral extension at one side of the same of less than the full length of said web slot, the second plate having a reduced neck angled away from the body of that plate, of a width to engage in said lateral slot extension of the first plate, and

an end head supported by said reduced neck in offset parallel relation on said second plate,

said offset end head being of a length less than the length of the web slot in the first plate but longer than said lateral extension of that slot and of a Width, greater than the distance between the portion of the loop-forming web passed through said slot and the side of said lateral extension remote from said loop-forming web portion, but less than the combined width of said web slot and the lateral extension thereof whereby said head may pass through said web slot only in angled relation to the first plate containing that slot, and said head when passed through said web slot extending to the web looped through that slot and thereby being held by said web in position interlocking said plates in engaged relation,

the end of said first plate being extended on a relatively flat incline beyond said lateral extension of 3 the web slot therein in the form of a handle overlying the second plate and forming a lever for rocking the first plate to carry said last mentioned loop of Web material away from holding engagement with said head. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Herrick Mar. 28, 1893 4 Rollins Oct. 27, 1914 McGlashan May 20, 1924 Sage et a1. Feb. 10, 1925 Bubser, Jr Aug. 2, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS France Nov. 10, 1924 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1936 Germany July 21, 1937 

